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Government Building

Greece's legislature has ratified a contentious labor reform that permits 13-hour working days, despite widespread opposition and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the measure will revamp Greek labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Provisions of the New Work Legislation

According to the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour week continues as before.

Officials emphasizes that the extended workday is elective, solely applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to 37 days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by lawmakers from the governing conservative political group, with the moderate party – now the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing party abstained.

Labor unions have staged two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that halted public transport and public services to a stop.

Official Justification and Employee Safeguards

A senior official defended the legislation, claiming the reforms align Greek legislation with current labor-market conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

The laws will provide workers the option to accept extra work with the same employer for increased compensation, while ensuring they will not be dismissed for declining overtime.

The measure complies with EU labor regulations, which limit the mean workweek to 48 hours including extra hours but permit flexibility over a year, according to the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Responses

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek employees already work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Changes and Financial Background

In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

Recent laws, which started at the beginning of the summer, allow workers to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

EU Labor Statistics and Greek Financial Indicators

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the longest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's official base pay stood at €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August versus an European mean of five point nine percent, data from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the EU.